Over the years, Chris Mennuto (B.F.A., Motion Media) watched his dad struggle to tell the story of how he escaped Tower 2 during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. While interning in New York last year, Chris visited the 9/11 Memorial for the first time. Touching the names of his dad's fallen co-workers he was inspired to create a visual presentation of his father's escape. And so was born “18 Minutes,” a powerful two-minute short, which brought his father and his professor tears.

Chris's hand-drawn sketches capture his father’s ordeal with such precision and imbue seemingly cold and impersonal technical tools with a vibrant breadth of emotion. "18 Minutes," the amount of time it took Stan Mennuto to exit the burning building, is a testament to a son's love for his father and to the fact that digital art and storytelling are as evocative as traditional mediums.

To memorialize 9/11, Chris and his dad will show “I8 minutes” today at Indian River State College in Florida. Winner of several awards, “18 Minutes” has also been shown at animation and film festivals around the country.